Feed water regulator



June 21, 1932.

H. s. FRASER FEED WATER REGULATOR Filed Nov. 21, 1928 Patented June 21, 1932 warren s'rres AT N Fr ce.

HOWARD s. FRASER, on NEW YORK, N. Y. Assrenoarornn SWARTWOUT coi/rr n' or cnnvnLANnoHIo, A COItBORATION or OHIO Fnnn WATER REGULATOR Application 'filed November 21, 1928; Serial No. 320,836.- i

This invention relates to feed waterregulators and more particularly to a very sensitive control of the feed water valve for maintaining with great accuracy a constant level of water in a boiler. 1

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a feed water regulator responsive to changes in boiler water level wherein great movements of the feed water valve are obtained in response to very small changes in the level of the water in the boiler drum. Another object is to createa force according to changes in the boiler water level andrto integrate and multiply this vforce so that a much greater force may be exerted on the feed water valve to control its opening. A further and more specific object is to position a fluid pressure generator in the plane of the water level of the boiler wherein pressure is generated as the water level falls and to use the pressure, so generated, to control an independent pressure in its eflect upon apressure actuated feed water valve. Another object isto arrange a connection between an independent source of pressure which may be the boiler or feed water line and a pressure actuated feed water valve and to interpose in this connection a pair of valves simultaneously acting with opposite efi'ects, one for establishing the connection and the other for bleeding the connection to atmosphere.

Other objects will appear from the following description of a preferred form of my,

invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

The drawing illustrates a layout of the parts comprising my invention. I

Referring to the drawing, I have illus-' trated a boiler drum D wherein-it is desired to maintain the water level along the line L and to which water is fed through a feed 'water pipe P. Connected in the feed water pipe is a feed water valve V. Disposed in the plane of the water level of the boiler is a fluid pressure generator F which for the sake of illustration may be of the type similar to that disclosed in the patent/to Copley, No. 1,193,125 issued August 1st,'1916, or in the patent to Barrett, No. 1,650,108 issued Noulator valve so'thatthe pressure createdin the generator forced the valve open as the water level in the boiler fell. 1 My invention constitutes an improvement over the substanceof these prior patents in that the generator pressure is not exerted directly upon the feed water valve bu'tzin turn controls a greater pressure directing it i to or away from the actuating partsof the feed water valve. In the prior-patents the generators had imposed uponthem heavy duties. and were of In my invention the generator is subjected to much lighter duty and may have a relatively small capacity which makes 'it' more highly responsive to small changes in water level. I .1

The feed water valve V may boot the diaphragm actuated type having a diaphragm chamber. 10 wherein is disposeda diaphragm not shown, which acts on a valve stem- 11 moving a valve closure member 12 onto its seat to close the valve. A spring 13' acting between the body of the valve and a nutll4 on the valve stem'urges the valve open. The

- compression in the spring maybe adjusted which tend to close the valve against action of the spring 13. Tapped into the feed water pipe, preferably between the valve V and the drum or leading from any source of pressure, preferably a constant one, is a conduit 16. In the conduit 16, I place a valve 0 which controls the flow through the conduit. Adjacent the valve C and joined thereto by conduit 17 is a valve Gr from whichfluid may escape relatively large capacity.. H

vember 22nd, 1927. V generator mounted on an inclined conduit 1 which conito atmosphere or to a point of low pressure, as at 1.8. I have found it practical to use a pressure of about 125 pounds in the line 16 and in some instances where the boiler pressure exceeds this amount, a separate or reduced source of pressure may be preferred. As appearszfromthe drawing, the conduit 15 joins the conduit 17. When the valve C is ,opened and whenthe valve'G is closed, boiler pressure'is established through the conduits 16, 17 and 15 in the diaphragm chamber 10 of the feed Water valve which exertsa pres sure tending to close the valve; The spring 13 of the valve V is adjusted sothat such pressure will effectively close the valve and "maintain it closed to preventflooding of the boiler,.zatleast when-the boiler is banked.

' Whenithe valve :0 is closed and the valve =G opened, communication is established 1 throughthe-valve G,:the conduits 15 and 17 betweenathe chamber 10 and atmosphere, so

that thespring- 13-may force the valve V wide 1 open. Itzfollowsihat intermediate relations betweenwthe valves C and'Gniay be estab- .lished.'which permitsome-fiow through the pipe" 16. and some discharge to atmosphere, so

chamberr10 tocreate various openings of the valveV according tothe relative opening of :thevalv-es- G-a-nd G. The valves() and G may be relatively-small and highly sensitive as comparedto the valve 1V.

' Asimentioned above instead of using the ,pressure :from thegenerator F to actuate the CVEILVQ V, :Ixprovi-de a conduit 20 leading from theugeneraton and branching to pressure .ehambers 213and22 associated'with the valves :6 andaGirespectively. The valves C and G ;may;be.-si-milar in construction having closure members and 24. movable through valve stemsQfM-iand 26. Disposed'between fixed parts-lotithevalves and reacting upon the valve stems aresprings- 2.7 and 28, compression in: which ,;may be adjusted through nuts 29 aniil ?3(l. Asaillustrated, pressure in the :chambers 21 ,and .22 tend tomove the valve stemsdownwardlyrand in thei-nstanceof the 'valvecidownwarrl motionof the valve stem 1=mQYGSFthe olosu-reamember 24. onto itsiseat to 5601 close'thc valve, In the instancestofthe valve G, the action is exactly opposite, that isdownwardmotion Qfzthe; valve stem moved the closure member. 2 3;away from its seat to open theqvalver Thus, ifthe water level in the boilcr ;falls slightly,-the valve; G is moved in a.directiomtoopenthe passageway to atmos- :phere while the valve .0 is moved in the direction 1'10,- close: the 1 passageway to the feed line. The correlation of movement: between .;the valvelorathe'lag aonlead between them is established .bv adjusting-the compression in .ithe'zsprin-gs 27 and: 28 by. the 1 nuts 29 and. 30. "It has zbeenunentioned above, that the valves arezrelativelysmall and highly sensi- #;:tiveasolthatarchange in generatorpressure that various pressures are-established in the of only a few pounds is needed to move the closure members against the pressure in the line 16. A relat1vely small change in pressure created 1n the generator, which represents only a very small change in water level, 5

is suiiicient to move both of the valves through their entire range which changes the feed water valve actuating pressure from atand the passage through the valve 0 will be restricted while the passage through the valve G will be enlarged. Thus the flow through thepipe 16 will berelatively smaller while the'flow to atmosphere will be relatively larger thus relieving the pressure in the conduit 15 and the chamber 10 andpermitting the spring 13 to open the valve V a greater amount to increase the feed and-rehabilitate the waterlevel. It is tobe noted that-the change in pressure in the generator F has a double effect in changing the pressure inthe chamber 10 because it controls both the inflow andouttlow ofthe conduit 17. It is also to be noted that during the normal, opera tion ofthe boiler when the valve V is about half openthat there will be avcertain leakage through the conduit 16, valve C, conduit 17 and valve G. However, when the boiler is held under banked fires without load, the valve G is tight shut, thus preventing theescape of any fluid from the boiler.

From the foregoing it will appear, that I have provided a very sensitive control, one wherein small changes'in water level in the boiler are magnified in effect to-get a very; prompt and full reaction in the feed. water valve andthat the apparatus COIIStltIIlZlIIgIIIy invention is simple in construction and adapted to expeditiousinstallation. While I have described and illustrated a preferred 1 formof my 1HV6I1tlO11,I do not care to be limited specifically thereto or in any manner other than by the claims appended hereto.

I'claim:

1. A feed Water regulator for a boiler in-'' cluding a pressure actuated feed water valve havinga pressure chamber, a conduit leading to said pressure chamber from a source of fluid pressure, a pressure actuated-valve in said conduit, a branch from said conduitleading to atmosphere, a pressure actuated valve in said branch, a pressure generator 'positioned in the plane of normal waterlevel in the boiler connected to'both of said last named valves, and means for separately controlling the response of said last named valvesto the action of saidgenerator.

.2.- A device according to. claim 1 wherein saidlast named valves move in response. to

increases in, generator pressures with oppo" site effects, one to open and the other to close, to vary the pressure exerted in the pressure chamber of the feed water valve.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said last named valves move simultaneously in response to increases in generator pressure with opposite effects, one in a direction to open and the other in a direction to close, to vary the pressure exerted in the pressure chamber of the feed water valve,

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein increases in pressure developed in said pressure generator and exerted upon said last named valves increase the opening of the valve in the branch conduit and decrease the opening in the valve in the main conduit to relieve the pressure exerted in the pressure chamber of the feed water valve.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein increases in pressure developed in said pressure generator and exerted upon said last named valves simultaneously increase the valve opening in the branch conduit and decrease the valve opening in the main conduit to relieve the pressure exerted upon the feed water valve causing an increase in the opening thereof.

6. In a boiler feed system, the combination of a pressure actuated feed water valve having a pressure chamber, a pair of independently acting valves each in communication with said chamber, one of said valves also communicating with a high source of pressure and the other valve communicating with a low source of pressure, means responsive to changes in boiler conditions for delivering a common operating force to both said last named valves, and independently adjustable spring means associated with each of said last named valves for synchronizing the response of said valves to said operating force.

7. In a boiler feed system, the combination of a pressure actuable feed water valve, a control therefor comprising a pair of valves, a conduit joining said valves, a conduit leading from said conduit to said feed water valve, a connection from one of said valves to a source of fluid pressure, a connection from the other of said valves to atmosphere, one of said valves having a closure member moving downwardly onto its seat to closed position and the other of said valves having a closure member moving downwardly from its seat to open position, a valve stem in each of said valves connected to said closure members, pressure chambers in each of said valves, a diaphragm closing each of said chambers and associated with said valve stems, springs associated with each of said stems opposing the action of the diaphragms, means associated with each stem for adjusting the compression in said springs, a pressure generator associated with the boiler and having a conduit leading to both said diavalves moving toward closed position while 7 the other of said valves moves toward open position and whereby the lag or lead compression in said springs.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix signature.

HOWARD s.v FRASER between said valves may be'dete'rmined by av relative llll 

